1. Field of the Invention
This invention discloses generally an illuminated sign, and more specifically, an illuminated sign incorporating a plurality of characters on a single sign enclosure having the appearance of separate three-dimensional characters.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A sign is intended to generate certain information in the mind of a sign viewer. The value of a particular sign can, however, extend beyond the words or images the sign was intended to convey. A sign can have value by the manner in which it portrays certain information, and the extent to which it creates an overall favorable impression on the sign viewer. If a sign is of high quality a person is more likely to remember it, and also associate that which the sign was intended to portray as being of high quality. Therefore, the image that a sign creates regarding a certain business or product can be enhanced by the manner in which the sign is perceived by the sign viewer.
From an aesthetic point of view, it is generally accepted that a three-dimensional illuminated sign in which the individual characters are separate and distinct from each other, and have their own individual lighting systems, appears as a high quality sign. However, such an illuminated sign is exceedingly expensive to produce due to not only the increased material and fabrication cost of the actual characters themselves, but also the self-contained sets of hardware necessary for each of the individual light sources of each of the characters. Further disadvantages include the cumbersomeness of handling the individual characters, and the obvious problems of having to align with precision separate individual characters when mounting the sign. Furthermore, with a plurality of individual light sources, such a sign possesses increased probability of a burned-out light source, thus increasing the cost of operating the sign.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensional illuminated sign providing the high quality aesthetically pleasing look of a sign having individual letters with individual light sources, and still maintain the cost effectiveness of a single sign having multiple characters on a single display surface.